Tamagotchi Plaza | REVIEW | NINTENDO SWITCH 2

''WE ALL LIVE IN A TAMAGOTCHI WORLD''

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Developed: Hyde Inc

Published: Bandai Namco Entertainment

Genre: Life Simulation

Release Date: June 27th, 2025

Platforms: NSW/NSW2

*REVIEW COPY PROVIDED TO ME BY BANDAI NAMCO

-BANDAI NAMCO CREATOR-

Tamagotchi Plaza is a life simulation title based of the once popular juggernaut toy of the same name and it is developed by Hyde Inc and published by Bandai Namco. With life sims devouring our lives over the last generations with titles like Stardew, Animal Crossing and even the more recent game of Hello Kitty Island Adventure, Bandai decided, you know what, lets make a game based off a popular trend from the 1990s. But was this a good property to use for this type of genre? or should these cute character have been kept to other projects non video game related instead. Only one way to find out, so lets go!

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''LOOKS LIKE A FAT CACTUAR''

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GAMEPLAY:

If you were around in the 1990s growing up, then there's a 100% chance you've heard of Tamagotchi and even owned one yourself. Obviously the brand is still a global one even in the modern era, however, I feel its true height and popularity lies within the 1990's itself and the hours spent playing with your virtual pets and making it a habit, almost like an addiction, to check their status daily and hourly. I know for sure I did.. but you know what was rage inducing? spending all your time making sure they're fed, entertained, kept in good health and then you wake up the next morning to say good morning to your little buddy and soon as you turn it it on, all you see as a big pile of pixelated poop on the screen. What the heck you little jerk. Its not even a little tiny poop either like a tiny marble one you'd expect from a tiny virtual pet, no no, they go all out and give you one of those big ol cartoon dog poops that swirl like an ice cream in a ice cream cone, talk about disrespect. Obviously the brands popularity as far as mobile virtual pets faded away and it as no longer the ''cool'' thing to have chilling in your pocket, but the IP of Tamagotchi endured none the less and instead branched out into other avenues such as video games with the Gameboy, Nintendo DS entries, Wii entries with weird games like Tamagotchi Party On and aside that, in the no brainer, you also had merch made, because come on, even if they weren't as popular anymore, they were still cute as heck and very marketable, so it only made sense. Now we have arrived in 2025 with a brand new entry on Switch and Switch 2 with Tamagotchi Plaza that promises to give fans back that feeling of the good ol slice of life. Which I'm fine with, just as long as it doesn't include anymore walking into a room of poop piles. So where does this title fit into the mix with past titles like Cornershop sequels on 3DS and DS? well pretty much right in the middle since this title is borderline a spiritual success to both of these games and tries to continue the tradition of both games which is to entertain both young and older fans of the franchise by giving a mellow and chill experience, all while completing mini games with all your little Tamagotchi friends. In this aspects it both hit and miss compared to past entries, but there's still enjoyable things to come from the experience as well though. Unlike waking up at 3am listening the pixelated sound of my Tamagotchi screaming at me because it wants to eat, even after I just fed its stupid FAT FACE. LEAVE ME ALONE YOU LITTLE BEAST, YOU WERE THE REASON I FAILED A MATH TEST DUE TO MY LACK OF SLEEP. Putting my rage aside, I'll move on.

As stated previously, yes this is a spiritual successor and one that relies heavily on mini games to bypass the time and entertain you, but before that even becomes a thing, the game starts you off by having you abducted by Prince Tamahiko using a UFO and kidnapping you and taking you to a planet called, of course, Tamagotchi Planet. The heck Prince Tamahiko, who do you think you are? Kamek from Mario Galaxy? get some new material bro, otherwise I'm going to sound like the kid from the South Park episode with Professor Chaos and constantly say, ''SIMPSONS DID IT''. You're then appointed the head of the towns development commitee and your job is now to grow and enhance the town itself to get ready for the highly anticipated Tamagotchi Fest. Gee thanks, first you all poop on my screen, then abduct me, then force me into manual labor to do your bidding to make YOUR party a success? man, it just isn't my day is it? yeesh. What's next, am I gonna have to build a prison to hold all the non-compliant Tamagotchi friends who don't want to attend this festival? I mean were getting pretty authoritarian here as it is, so I wouldn't rule it out. Now that you're a slave to their every whim, you must then aim to improve the town itself in typical sim fashion by going from shop to shop, all while making friends with the friendly residents who are happy to get to know you and welcome you with open arms. But.. WHY are they so happy, HMM? their little happy go lucky smiles and faces and laughs are just giving me deja vu of ''EVERYTHING IS FINE IN BA SING SE'' in Avatar The Last Airbender, as if its filled with mind controlled civilians who can never leave. That could just be me though trying to add my own stories to the mix to make the game more entertaining, who knows. Why would I do this? well, to be honest, as you manage multiple shops that include pool maintenance, sending them to the dentist which is thankfully not ran by Steve Martin, gather up money with your highest performance ratings, get new aesthetics your plaza and improve shop activities, etc, you tend to run into some issues, mainly regarding the mini games themselves and what they entail. While there is a wide variety of mini games to play, which allow for a progression system that works pretty decently, which allows you to play at the speed you want, the pace you want and at your own leisure, but while the presentation of it all is done pretty well, the overall execution of bringing everything together is... not. Why is this? well because it lacks depth as far as robust or different experiences that past games of the similar genre offered, such as Hello Kitty Island Adventure, if we want a more recent example or if we want to go back a few years then we can even throw in good ol Nintendo Land from the Wii U because while although its not as heavy on the town building mechanics as Tamagotchi Plaza, like.. at all, it still offered more of a diverse line up of mini games to play with more to do than seen here in Tamagotchi Plaza on Switch 2.

So I got kidnapped by a UFO for underwhelming mini games that feel very basic and repetitive at times? yes... yes I did. Sure you have to obtain shop upgrades through all the mini games, which can offer a change of pace from the monotony, but still, when some of your other tasks are simple, hey buddy, hang up towels or yo bro, use ingredients to make someone a drink, it then starts to feel like something out of a fetch quest from a boring RPG, instead of a worthwhile test of skill to keep you engaged and focused on completing as many mini games as possible because you want to get your new upgrades... but here, that incentive isn't really a strong one. There's just a very low feeling of self accomplishment that other games in this genre offer you compared to it with mini games that have you serving tea to people but giving you no direction on what to do, how to do it, why are you doing it and instead you spend a good 10 to 12 minutes, give or take, trying a bunch of different combinations to make the mini game work, all by using the tried and true technique of trial and error. This isnt Super Meat Boy where you HAVE to rely on trial and error to beat hard as heck challenges so you can feel accomplishment, this is supposed to be a slice of life game that you can pick up and play with your family and kids... however when instructions are cryptic or confusing, it defeats the purpose of being a family game. Its like playing Mouse Trap and someone is like ''hey man, let me read the instructions real quick'' but the rest of the group is like nah screw that, we want to build the trap and get right to capturing of the mouse and the cage cause yeahhh that's awesome as hell. That's how this game should've been, straight to the point and fun mini games that are pick up and play, no more, no less. Granted, its not all bad, especially with the Switch 2 version adding exclusive shops that let you partake in mini games that use the Joy Con's Mouse Mode, which for me felt pretty good actually and while it might not be innovative, sure, they do what they're supposed to do, you know.. be fun, and that's all we really wanted at the end of the day, nothing but slice of life fun and entertainment for the family, but its not always what we get.

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''WELCOME TO MY STOOP''

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OVERALL:

At the end of the day, Tamagotchi Plaza ended up an underwhelming time for me, especially as someone who is a fan of the franchise, have owned several Tamagotchi's in my life time, played nearly every game release(good and bad) and so on. Granted I've played a lot worse and this game isn't a total let down, even though it may seem like it may be, still, the atmosphere it creates is very inviting, the characters you know and love are here and they're as cute and loveable as ever, Mouse Mode is a highlight feature and some of the managing systems can be fun here and there, however even with the whimsical nature of the game, the mini games overall as a whole feel repetitive and underwhelming that requires zero skill based gameplay and at times lack a sense of clarity to explain just what your objective even is. Like with that description, I might as well be describing Action 52. Yeah, go and look up that one. I know I'm a bit salty, but its just because the previous titles were so charming AND fun, that when the next one in line doesn't live up to similar expectations, its just very disappointing since the game DOES have a lot going for it, it just executes the in between ungracefully and under performs. So with all that having been said, my verdict is clear, GameNChick says PASS

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